Day Twenty-three, April 17

Last night was the twenty-first debate between Hillary and Barack, and I was at work while it aired on ABC, so unfortunately, I had to miss it. Though from what I've read today, maybe that's a blessing in disguise. Newspapers are saying that Obama was on the defense for most of the debate, and the questions pandered to past issues such as Jeremiah Wright and Senator Clinton's 'sniper fire' claim. Perhaps it is for the best, then, that Obama is hinting that he will be focusing his efforts on campaigning--not another lackluster debate--for the remainder of the run with Hillary (cnn.com reports). "I'll be honest with you, we've now had 21," Senator Obama said at a campaign stop in Raleigh, NC today. "It's not as if we don't know how to do these things. I could deliver Sen. Clinton's lines; she could, I'm sure, deliver mine." Americans who watched the debate, both in person and at home, wasted no time in weighing in on the superfluous nature of the questions from moderators Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulus.

Barack also spoke about his frustration in getting to the point of the debates: the issues that most affect voters. "Last night, we set a new record, because it took us 45 minutes before we even started talking -- until we started talking about a single issue that matters to the American people," he said. You can click here to see the entirety of Barack's speech to his North Carolinian rally, which, frankly, has a few 'less-than-hopeful' moments to speak of. I'm a little worried that the blunt force of his opponents are getting the best of him already, and he's starting to retaliate a little more than I'd like to see. Regardless, here's to hoping that he can rise above this in-fighting, stick to campaigning, and wrap this thing up in the next couple of weeks with big wins in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina.